{"title":"Author: Mick Rathbone","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"the-smell-of-football-candid-reflections-on-35-years-in-the-professional-game","title":"The Smell of Football – Candid reflections on 35 years in the professional game","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen Mick Rathbone signed for Birmingham City as a 16 year-old apprentice he was living every schoolboy's dream. But when he discovered he was so nervous he was unable to speak, let alone pass the ball, in the presence of his boyhood hero and City star Trevor Francis, he realised that a career in football might not be everything he had imagined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Smell of Football\u003c\/em\u003e is the brutally honest and utterly unputdownable story of how 'Baz' conquered his personal demons to build a life in the game – from the terrified teenager who purposely tried to get injured in training rather than get picked for the first team, to the experienced pro who became Head of Medicine at Everton FC, in charge of the treatment of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Tim Cahill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrilliantly written and packed with hilarious tales featuring a football \"who's who\" cast of characters – from Sir Alf Ramsey and 'Big Sam' Allardyce to David Moyes, Duncan Ferguson and Rooney himself – The Smell of Football is an engrossing and moving memoir that covers every aspect of the professional game and gives an unprecedented insight into what life is really like at football's coalface. This edition published in 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 143mm x 223mm – 288 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soccer Books Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56306640781694,"sku":"9781913412425","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/files\/SmellOfFootball.jpg?v=1758814992"},{"product_id":"the-smell-of-football-2-the-next-eleven-years-and-ten-teams","title":"The Smell of Football 2 – The Next Eleven Years (and Ten Teams)","description":"\u003cp\u003e The searingly honest and unputdownable sequel to the award-winning \u003cem\u003eThe Smell of Football\u003c\/em\u003e, balancing laugh-out-loud moments with darker periods of difficult self-reflection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this engrossing and moving memoir, Mick 'Baz' Rathbone picks up from where his highly acclaimed debut tome left off:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWe follow him from his shock departure from his role as head of medical at Everton in 2010, to finally finding the internal peace and self-worth he has searched for all his life, some ten years and ten teams later, on a paradise island in the Caribbean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHe takes us on a hilarious, yet thought-provoking journey through the international team's setup via the biggest club in the world and many other famous football clubs along the way\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSkilfully told, in the same self-deprecating way as the original, there are great stories involving such football luminaries as David Moyes, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton and the late, great Ray Clemence to name but a few\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWith revealing insights into the world of professional football, Mick highlights how the game has changed since he left school in 1975, as a wide-eyed 16-year-old, to join his beloved hometown club, Birmingham City\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt its heart, this is a book about doubt and lack of direction and an ageing man searching for his rightful place at the football table, increasingly filled by younger and more academically qualified protagonists, fear of the future and the fear of growing old. Mick's story will resonate with all football fans, and especially those of a certain age – from any walk of life – who are fighting to stay relevant. Published in 2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 128mm x 197mm – 285 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soccer Books Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56306681184638,"sku":"9781836800422","price":11.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/files\/SmellOfFootball2_5152129e-472b-4005-b284-edb0948fda5a.jpg?v=1758815550"},{"product_id":"the-smell-of-football-3-one-hundred-days-in-the-dugout","title":"The Smell of Football 3 – One Hundred Days in the Dugout","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe third and final part of the highly acclaimed \u003cem\u003eThe Smell of Football\u003c\/em\u003e trilogy, bringing to life the day-to-day running of a professional football club.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMick 'Baz' Rathbone concludes his riveting football memoir with a 100-day diary starting in the early 2024\/25 season. Once again, he brings us a unique insight into the world of professional football, this time through his role as a physio:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWritten with humour and candour, the book demonstrates that incredibly fine line between winning and losing – the width of a goalpost or a referee's decision – and the diametrically opposed emotions they bring\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTakes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions from the mundane yet fascinating day-to-day happenings of the medical team at a famous old League Two club, to the utter despair of a relentless losing streak and the pressure that comes with it\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSee the internal world of a professional football club through the eyes of the physio\u003cbr\u003eLearn about Mick's role and responsibility, and the pressure on him to provide the manager with the strongest team possible, week in and week out, as the demand for results increases exponentially across the season\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is for diehard fans who support their team unconditionally. It will show them just how much the players and officials really do care, and just how painful and emotionally draining defeat is. It is an honest account that draws on the author's incredible 50 years in professional sport. Published in 2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 128mm x 197mm – 318 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soccer Books Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56306715492734,"sku":"9781836802105","price":11.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/files\/SmellOfFootball3.jpg?v=1758816258"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/collections\/SmellOfFootball.jpg?v=1758816656","url":"https:\/\/soccer-books.co.uk\/collections\/author-mick-rathbone.oembed","provider":"Soccer Books Limited","version":"1.0","type":"link"}